There's something innately charming about "Big Texas Heat." The reality show, which premieres at 9:30 p.m. Saturday on CMT, focuses on the adventures (and misadventures) of a small-town police force.

It's riddled with clichés: overweight cops munching doughnuts, a hillbilly hollering "God bless Texas" and colorful colloquialisms ("he's a few sandwiches short of a picnic").

And the antics in the premiere are bit too much like the Three Stooges Take Mayberry. In the half-hour episode, viewers see the officers of the Trinity Police Department goofing around with a taser, sirens, handcuffs, firecrackers and a trained police dog. There's even an NCIS-style head smack (except this one wasn't an actor pretending to smack another actor).

All of this might be a turn-off, but at the heart of "Big Texas Heat" is a big heart: Chief Steven Jones.

A native East Texan, Jones has been with the five-man police force since 2008 after a short stint as sheriff of Trinity County. His wife is the co-owner of the Flair, a small beauty shop, and together they are raising six kids in Trinity, which is about 90 miles north of Houston on the Trinity River.

The Boss, as Jones is known, is the instigator of much of the mischief. And Officer Felix Morales is the 32-year-old rookie cop who is the butt of most of the jokes.

Morales calls it "hazing," and it's no surprise when, in episode 2, the Army veteran (whose tours took him to both Iraq and Afghanistan) loses his temper with a fellow officer.

That's when Jones drops the Chief Wiggum impression and morphs into Andy Taylor.

"It's fun messing with people until it messes with my day off," Jones says, sitting in the squad room in shorts and a T-shirt.

The rookie's tears as he confronts and eventually embraces a fellow officer in front of the chief are believable and moving.

"I hope people see how much we love one another. That we're a brotherhood, we're family," Jones said during a conference call with the press earlier this week. Jones said filming the reality show brought the patrolmen closer together.

Others in the "Big Texas Heat" cast include Donald Givens (the self-labeled Big Sexy is the force's "Lead Community Officer"), Sgt. Randy Wheeler (the chief's right-hand man) and Officer Justin Sikes, who proves in initial episodes to be a by-the-rules officer with a short fuse. In one episode, a fellow officer describes Sikes as "a pit bull in a chihuahua's body."

"Big Texas Heat" has a few female "characters," including Melanie Jones, the chief's much-suffering wife, dispatcher Chason Breward and the countless ladies you see flirting with Givens.

"I'm married, but there's nothing wrong with (the women) looking at me," Givens says in the premiere. "I don't have a problem with that. My wife might, but I don't."

Jones said the reality show was a couple of years in the making and started with a short video by Wheeler. "Apparently, we did pretty good with the footage," Jones said.

Most residents of tiny Trinity probably weren't too surprised when Hollywood came knocking. The town's police force already had gained notoriety for its penchant for social media. You can check out the team's crimefighting prowess on Facebook at facebook.com/trinitypolice. In addition to CMT profiles, you'll find news about some suspicious "security system salesmen," suspect mug shots and photos showing property returned to its rightful owner.

Jones was given a "hard time" by the townspeople when he launched the department's Facebook page in 2011. "But that opinion has changed from negative to positive." The chief thinks the same thing will happen once the reality show begins airing Saturday.

"('Big Texas Heat') is going to show what it's like at the Trinity Police Department," he said.

The chief allowed that early in the shoot, the cameras were awkward for the department and Trinity's citizens, but after a few days, it became natural. He thinks the transition from awkward to comfortable will come through to viewers as the series progresses.

Givens, now in his third year with the department, is just excited to show off Trinity, population 2,721.

"It's a small town with great people," he said. It probably doesn't hurt that many residents call him by his favorite moniker: Big Sexy.

As for the department's now-documented pranks, Givens said, "we all get our fair share (of the teasing). It's all in fun. Sometimes you can get a little frustrated, but I love the camaraderie."